Edited Collections

You can find some primary sources in books. Below is a list of relevant subject headings. When searching for these in the catalog, try adding "sources", "documents", "correspondence" or "letters" to your search.

Search for Books (Secondary and Primary)

Newspapers and Magazines

This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time. Includes obituaries, stocks, editorials, etc.

A 19th century illustrated newspaper, from 1857-1877. The first segment includes the Civil War Era: 1857-1865. The next two sections cover Reconstruction: 1866-1871 and 1872-1877. This primary resource includes news stories, illustrations, cartoons, editorials, biographies, literature and advertisements.

Search millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, stretching from the 1750's to today. Most were never published and are now available for the first time through the joint work of LIFE and Google.

This leading Black newspaper of the 20th century reached its peak in the 1940s. The Amsterdam News was a strong advocate for the desegregation of the U.S. military during World War II, and also covered the historically important Harlem Renaissance.

This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time. Includes obituaries, stocks, editorials, etc.

Full-text, full-image articles for newspapers dating back to the 19th century.

Coverage begins with the newspaper's first issue in 1851 and continues through 2009. It includes news, editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, and birth and marriage announcements as well as photos and advertisements. Contents are cover-to-cover with full-page and article images in downloadable PDF.

The oldest continuously published black newspaper, is dedicated to the needs and concerns of the fourth largest black community in the U.S. During the 1930s the paper supported the growth of the United Way, rallied against the riots in Chester, PA, and continuously fought against segregation.

This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time. Includes obituaries, stocks, editorials, etc.

One of America's most important newspapers, The Times-Picayune has been a mainstay of Louisiana life for nearly 200 years. In 1925, when newspapers printed literature as well as news, The Times-Picayune published short pieces by a young William Faulkner. Also in these 20th-century pages are essential reporting on the rise, rule and assassination of Governor Huey Long; disenfranchisement and segregation of the region's African Americans; Louisiana's French, Spanish, Acadian, African and French West Indian heritage; and more.

ProQuest Congressional offers access to congressional publications dealing with the wide variety of topics addressed by Congress. It includes the full text of congressional publications, finding aids, a bill tracking service, and the full text of public laws and other research materials.

Reports of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives beginning with 1817.

The Serial Set includes Reports, Documents, and Journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. These constitute a rich source of primary source material on all aspects of American history. The digital version of the Serial Set covers 1817-1962.

Provides full-text access to 270 historically significant African-American newspapers from across the US. with coverage of more than 170 years of African American history. The collection includes numerous historically significant titles such as Freedom’s Journal, the first African American newspaper in the U.S.

Over 1100 full text periodicals published between 1740 and 1940. Although the title of the database indicates it ends in 1900, it has many articles up to 1940. Three broad time periods are included: 1) 89 journals published between 1740 and 1800 from colonial status to independence, 2) more than 900 titles from the first 60 years of the nineteenth century, and 3) 118 periodicals published during the Civil War (1861-1865) and Reconstruction (1865-1877) eras. The database contains digitized images presenting the original typography, drawings, graphic elements, and article layouts exactly as they were originally published.

Chronicling America is a Website providing access to information about historic newspapers and select digitized newspaper pages, and is produced by the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP). Supported by the NEH and the Library of Congress.

A collection of sources on Southern history, literature and culture from the colonial period through the first decades of the 20th century. Includes: First-Person Narratives of the American South; Library of Southern Literature; North American Slave Narratives; The Southern Homefront, 1861-1865; The Church in the Southern Black Community.

Primary source for legal research. Also provides access to a wide range of news and business sources. Its coverage includes magazines, journals and law reviews, newspapers, news transcripts, state and federal laws and court rulings, and reference sources.